The state boasting one of the highest electronic health record adoption rates in the nation has officially launched its statewide HIE.

 

North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple on Wednesday, together with the state’s Health Information Technology Advisory Committee, announced the rollout of the North Dakota Health Information Network, or NDHIN, an HIE aimed at connecting docs’ EHR systems across the state.

 

North Dakota is currently ranked top in the U.S. for the number of eligible docs -- 83 percent -- who have implemented a basic EHR, according to a CDC health IT trends report released earlier this year. The national average for basic EHR adoption rates for docs currently stands at 48 percent.

 

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According to state officials, several healthcare providers are already sharing information via the NDHIN.

 

"By strengthening the quality and accessibility of healthcare in our state, we enhance the livability of our communities and the quality of life of our people," Dalrymple said, in a March 5 press statement. "Sharing electronic health records is an important part of those efforts, enhancing patient care while reducing healthcare costs."

 

This year, 100 percent of North Dakota hospitals have indicated they will go live with their EHR systems. In 2013, nearly half of the state’s long-term care facilities reported an active EHR system, with an additional 33 percent indicating they would go live within two years, and half of North Dakota's public health units indicated having or were in the process of implementing an EHR, state officials pointed out.

 

When asked why North Dakota health IT adoption rates were much higher than the rest of the country, Paul Kleeberg, REACH clinical director for Minnesota and North Dakota and HIMSS Board of Directors' chair-elect, pictured left, said it's about those facilities seeing the value of health IT to improve care. "We have those high percentages in the communities where they're relatively urban," he said in an interview with Healthcare IT News, "but we do have some areas still where the adoption may be there, but let's say the effective use still has some ways to go because using EHRs and some of the EHRs we might find in our rural communities may be a bit more challenging."

 

[See also: Docs in for Stage 2 rude awakening and No HIE means 'lost opportunity' for cash.]

 

"This is an important investment in the quality of healthcare in North Dakota," added Sheldon Wolf, NDHIN director, in a statement. "The North Dakota Health Information Network allows providers secure access to the medical information necessary to provide quality healthcare anywhere and anytime."

 

North Dakota's Health Information Technology office was established in 2009 by the state legislature. The HITAC was also established to make recommendations for implementing a statewide interoperable health information infrastructure. Since its inception, the state has invested $10 million in a revolving loan fund through the Bank of North Dakota to help providers develop systems compatible with the statewide network.

 

The initiative was funded by a federal grant of $5.3 million with a match provided by the state. The network went live earlier this year and will continue to expand over the next several years.

 

Earlier this year, NDHIN announced it would be joining forces with 15 other health information exchanges to form the Mid-States Consortium of Health Information Organizations, with the goal of spurring more robust HIE across state lines.